My mother in law has been making homemade noodles and sent some home with us so I wanted to use these up. This recipe is great because we had everything in our house already to make this. You can also add a green pepper or onion but since our household is picky, I skipped those.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Slow Cooker Beef & Noodles is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

For this recipe, you will need to make the Basic Alfredo Recipe I posted last week. This is a great make ahead recipe I like to make when I’m creating a batch of recipes for the week.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Baked Alfredo with Pasta of Your Choice is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This is a recipe that my aunts were kind enough to make our family to help out when we needed some easy meals. Everyone loved it, they were kind enough to share the recipe, which was from another family member who lives in Washington state. This recipe has traveled!

I’ve made a couple modifications. I did not have the pimentos as called for in the recipes. Instead, I roasted a red pepper and used it in lieu of the pimentos. It was quick and easy to do in the oven as I shared a couple of weeks ago.

The recipe also originally called for Montery Jack shredded cheese but I had some Authentic Mexican shredded Queso cheese I had purchased again from ALDI I wanted to use instead. I also didn’t have anymore whipping cream as I had used the remainder for my Basic Alfredo Recipe. I used half and half instead. I’d stick with the heavy whipping cream, though, in the future.

Once again, my Ninja chopper comes in handy to get a great shredded chicken mix without all the work of hand shredding. The official name is the Ninja Master Prep and it is a Ninja in my kitchen! My aunt also said this is what she used to shred it in the meal she made for us.

Thanks to Penny, Aunt Beth & Aunt Paula for sharing this recipe with me! 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Penny’s Chicken Cream Enchiladas is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Kate from CouponCravings.com has offered to take over Meatless Monday this week! This recipe looks delicious and I love a quick and easy dip recipe to pair with Tastefully Simple Beer Bread! 

If you are looking for a meatless appetizer, this one hits the spot! Spinach and Artichoke Dip is so versatile, since it can be served cold, hot, with veggies, on top of toasted baguettes, or with tortilla chips for dipping. And, that’s not it, there are dozens of other options as well!

Plus, it’s a great last minute item to bring to a potluck or card club!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need for this fabulous, creamy, amazing Spinach and Artichoke Dip:

• 1 & 1/2 cups parmesan cheese
• 1 box frozen spinach (thawed and drained*)
• 1 (14 oz.) jar chopped artichoke hearts
• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 1 (8 oz.) block cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 cloves garlic (or 2 tsp. garlic powder)

First things first, here’s my tip for thawing and draining spinach*:

Release corners of the box of spinach and set the box of spinach tipped on the side of a bowl.

Microwave for about 2 minutes. All of the juice will drain in to the bowl and your spinach will be thawed.

Next, combine the spinach, parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts in a medium size bowl.

Mix well to combine flavors.

Add the softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise and garlic.

Stir to evenly distribute all the flavors. Put all ingredients in to a 1 1/2 quart oven-safe dish and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Kate Sorensen of Coupon Cravings lives in Iowa with her husband and two kids, ages 4 1/2 and 1. She has been a devoted frugal shopper and frugal cook for years. Kate enjoys making appetizers that include items that she can use a coupon on while at the same time, making food that tastes great and doesn’t break the bank. Today, she has shared one of her favorite “meatless appetizer recipes” with us.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Spinach and Artichoke Dip is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Roasted Red Peppers are so easy to make that will never need to buy these from a jar again. You will save money and be healthier by making your own!

For a recent recipe I was trying, I didn’t have pimentos as it called for in the recipe. Instead I found by googling that I could substitute roasted red peppers for the sliced pimentos. Of course, I didn’t have any roasted red peppers in a jar readily available either.

However, I had just made an ALDI trip where I had picked up a three pack of various peppers. So with a little more googling, I was able to figure out how to roast my red pepper. Yes, this is how I cook, with google very handy!

It’s so simple and I skipped a bunch of steps I found on some of the websites as it was going to be a ingredient within a recipe so I didn’t need to coat with olive oil.

Wash your red pepper. Cut your red pepper in half.  Broil until red pepper is charred but not completely burnt.

Rinse in cool water. The skin should come right off. Another trick you can use is instead of rinsing off right away, you can put directly in a bowl covered in saran wrap. Let sit for 10-15 minutes and the steam will do the work for you! I don’t find I need to do that as I use a similar technique I use to get the peels off my peaches.

Cut your peppers into strips, dice, or however your recipe calls for it. Easy Pea-sy!

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Roasted Red Pepper Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

I LOVE this recipe as a homemade alternative to jarred Alfredo sauces. It has much more flavor. However, it is probably not that low on calories. I’m thinking you could probably do okay with half of the butter if you want to save on calories without sacrificing too much of the flavor.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Basic Alfredo Sauce Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

 Have you been stocking up on discount pasta sauces? This is a great way to use those stockpile pasta items.

Adapted from Taste of Home Crock Pot Pizza recipe.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Slow Cooker Pizza Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This is a little different “Meatless Monday.” I bought a box of Fantastic World Foods Nature’s Burger from VitaCost. Basically, it’s a package mix to create a meatless burger!

It was a easy mix to prepare and cook. It only took about 15 minutes as I skipped the step to let the mixture stand for 15 minutes! ;) The Fantastic Burgers were very tasty for a box mix and healthy as it is made with garden vegetables, whole grains, soy, spices. Low in fat and high in fiber is a plus!

Have you used your $10 off $10 coupon code for VitaCost yet?

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Fantastic World Foods Vegetarian Nature’s Burger is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This is a easy recipe for a quick Mexican side dish.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Easy Taco Rice Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Thanks to my mother in law, Karen, for helping us with this delicious potato soup recipe! My husband hates onions so we add carrots and celery so it isn’t just potatoes floating in milk! :) This is a household favorite.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Cheesy Potato Soup is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Grissini breadsticks are pencil thin breadsticks often served as a appetizer or with wine tasting. I simplified by using a sheet of refrigerated pizza dough and served with a spaghetti dinner.

These were gone in a flash! 

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Grissini Breadsticks Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Trying to eat only items from the refrigerator and freezer made it a little challenging one evening! However, we had a little left over alfredo sauce, plenty of mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, and onions. I decided to try out some toasted subs since they were also very customizable, which works great for my picky family.

Post Dinner Analysis

Hannah and I both wished we had spinach as it would have added to this sandwich. These were a great use what is in your pantry/refrigerator quick last minute dinner idea.

Meat it Up

I customized my son’s with pepperoni slices.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Whatever Toasted Subs is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

If you are a looking for a easy and delicious slow cooker oatmeal recipe, this one is the one for you. Easily customizable to fit everyone in your household’s oatmeal tastes. I used Bob’s Red Mill Steel Cut Oats. Do not try to use quick oats or any other kind of oats. Only steel cut will work for a slow cooker recipe. Believe me, I tried it before! Purchase from Amazon or via VitaCost ($10 off $10 coupon).

Not only is this delicious, steel-cut oats are much healthier. Rolled oats are produced by mashing the oat groat into a thin sheet, which breaks down the fiber. Steel-cut oats are simply cut into two or three pieces. Thus, they take longer to digest than rolled oats because they are more complex and have less factory processing.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Slow Cooker Steel-Cut Oatmeal Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

When shopping VitaCost recently, I purchased Bob’s Red Mill black bean flour thinking it was very interesting and I would make my own black bean tortillas.  Have you used your $10 off $10 coupon code for VitaCost yet?

Post Dinner Analysis

Delicious!

Freezer Friendly

Freeze before or after cooking.

Meat it Up

Add chicken or ground beef.

Adapted from the Bob’s Red Mill Easy Cheesy Enchiladas Recipe

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Black Bean Cheesy Enchiladas is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This was a easy Sunday morning recipe. 

For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here.

To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Blueberry Baked French Toast is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Adapted from a recipe in Southern Living magazine.

Post Dinner Analysis

This isn’t the healthiest choice but it is very delicious. This is often requested for family gatherings. I’ve listed the “doubled” recipe, which is what I always make. However, you can cut it in half for a smaller dish.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze before or after cooking.

Meat it Up

Add ham or bacon crumbles on top.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Best Homemade Macaroni & Cheese is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

If you look at the back of a packet for taco seasoning, you will see a bunch of words you can’t pronounce. This homemade taco seasoning mix is so simple to make and much healthier for your family. The health consideration is a big benefit but it is much cheaper to make your own taco seasoning from scratch then paying for the seasoning at the store.

When you make your own, you can also control the spiciness of your seasoning. If you like it more spicy, add more chili powder and cayenne pepper. You can even add red pepper flakes if you want to spice it up even more. Double, triple, or quadruple this recipe so you will have plenty in your pantry and save yourself time in the future.

My family loves this mixture and complimented the taste of the tacos I made before I even unveiled to them it was a homemade spice mixture. I also like to make 3-4 pounds of ground beef at one time and freeze one pound portions to make it a easy weeknight dinner.

Buy spices in bulk from Amazon, VitaCost, or your local warehouse store to save even more.

For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here.

To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

How to Make Your Own Taco Seasoning is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Throw this one in your slow cooker in the morning for a delicious ready to eat dinner. Delicious, if you are a meat eater!

I saved on the meat by buying frozen chicken legs from Aldi. This one was a hit!

For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here.

To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken Legs is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Have some vegetables in your fridge that you need to use ASAP? Throw them in this vegetable lasagna for a yummy, simple dish.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

You will notice that all of my ingredients are from Aldi. I love to shop at Aldi when I don’t have time to do a coupon shopping trip as I’m still able to save money without sacrificing quality.

• (2) 16 oz Grandessa Spicy Red Pepper Pasta Sauce
• 6-8 Lasagna Noodles
• 16 oz Cottage Cheese or Ricotta Cheese
• Spinach (I used half the package shown)
• 8 oz Mushrooms, sliced
• 2-3 Roma Tomatoes, sliced
• 8 cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• 1/2 cup Romano Cheese, shredded

Pour a little bit of the pasta sauce on the bottom of your pan.  Then layer 3-4 noodles topped with half your cottage cheese. Layer spinach, mushrooms, roma tomatoes, mozzarella cheese. Repeat. Top with Romano Cheese.

Cook at 375 degrees until bubbly, which is about 45 minutes.

This makes a 9″ x 12″ pan. Serves 8.

Serve with a side salad and garlic bread. 

Post Dinner Analysis

This was delicious and I ate on it all week. Bryan said it was good but it would be really good with meat.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze completely before baking or after baking.

Meat it Up

Add sausage.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Vegetable Lasagna is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Sesame Ginger Tofu 

Ingredients

• 14 ounces Tofu, firm or extra firm
• 1/3 cup Blue Agave or Honey
• 3 tablespoons Tamari
• 3 tablespoons Ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Sesame Oil (use the variety that is not toasted)
• 2 tablespoons Rice Vinegar
• 2 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 1/4 cup Flour
• 1 tablespoon Canola Oil
• 1/4 cup Sesame Seeds, lightly toasted
• 6 Green Onions, chopped

This recipe is very similar to the Whole Foods Sesame Ginger Deli Tofu.  This is a very tasty sauce that I would recommend doubling as you will want more. The first time I made it, I made it per the recipe above. The second time, I doubled it and it was the perfect quantity. If you have a meat eater, the sauce works well with chicken as well.

While, you do not have to have a official Tofu Press, I love the one I purchased from Tofu Xpress via Amazon last month. You can try a method like this one to press your tofu if you only eat tofu occasionally. Pressing your tofu rids it of the excess water and allows it to absorb a sauce or marinade much easier, giving your tofu great flavor. If you are going to purchase one, I would highly recommend the Tofu Xpress as it is very easy to use and doesn’t take much time or effort.

While your tofu is pressing, combine the blue agave (or honey), tamari, ginger, sesame oil, rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a sauce and bring to a simmer.

Cube the tofu after you have drained the water. Dip the tofu in the flour lightly.

Next you can either fry your tofu or bake it. It obviously tastes better fried but baking is much healthier and it is still quite tasty baked.

To Fry:  Fry the tofu in canola oil until golden brown.

To Bake: I marinated the tofu for about 30 minutes before baking. Then I baked the tofu.

Toss the tofu with about 2/3 of the sauce.  Save the remaining sauce for your vegetables or as additional dipping sauce.  Top with your toasted sesame seeds and green onion.

On a side note, I had no clue how to toast the sesame seeds. Luckily, my friend Donna was over and before I had to google, she gave helped with out. It was quite easy but basically I just toasted in a pan on the stove. Yes, I know that is probably pretty basic but I do often google things like that!

Serves 4.

Yum, yum, yum.

We paired with steamed broccoli (topped with a little sauce) and quinoa, which is great for protein, fiber, and iron!

Drool….

Post Dinner Analysis

This was a hit. We had some friends stop by as I was cooking and all three of them – including a 11 year old boy thought it was delicious! My husband loved the sauce and even like the tofu version. Again, one batch is just not enough so I’ve made a note to always double this recipe.

Freezer Friendly

I’ve read that you can freeze tofu. I think this is a recipe that could be frozen but is probably better freshly made.

Meat it Up

Substitute chicken for tofu using the exact same steps. I really hate cooking meat but as a labor of love for my husband, I made the chicken variety on the second batch! Either version, he says I can make it again. :)

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Sesame Ginger Tofu Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

These were fun to eat and easy to make. 3 out of 4 kids liked it. 2/2 adults liked it. The one who didn’t like it hates meat sauce for some strange reason. He will eat pizza with meat and tomato sauce but does not like spaghetti sauce with meat. I tried telling him they were “Pizza Muffins” but he didn’t buy that. He put two and two together and figured out it was the leftover sauce from the night before. He ate it but wasn’t happy about it.

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Spaghetti Muffin Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Corn Potato Chowder is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Spaghetti Pie Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Since I know we always have leftovers after making a nice size pork tenderloin, I’m going to shred that meat and make tenderloin wraps. (I always tell the kids pork is chicken. For some reasons that sounds better to them than pork. Don’t know why?)

View the Recipe Index for a complete list of recipes. For the most recent vegetarian recipes posted on the blog, go here. To view all the recipes post on the blog, go here.

Leftover Pork Tenderloin Wraps is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

One of my good friends from when I first started blogging, Erin Chase, $5 Dinner Mom, has a new eBook, Holiday Entertaining Guide, which includes  30 simple recipes, from side dish to main dish, dessert to appetizer, that will not disappoint your guests. And, that won’t drain your budget either.

Also included:

• FREE Holiday Planners – Also included in my Holiday Entertaining Guide, printable planners that you can use for planning your menu, grocery list, oven schedule, to-do list, table décor and setup and more.
• FREE Holiday Treats – Get 10 recipes for holiday treats that are perfect for cookie exchanges or gifting to your favorite foodie. From Peppermint Brownies to Nutmeg Snickerdoodles…you’ll be glad to have these recipes come time for your holiday baking.

Special Offer

Use the Coupon Code: GOBBLE and get your Holiday Entertaining Guide, free printable holiday planners and free 10 Holiday Treats for just $0.99.

$5 Dollar Dinner: Holiday Entertaining Guide $0.99 is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

One of my good friends from when I first started blogging, Erin Chase, $5 Dinner Mom, has a new eBook, Holiday Entertaining Guide, which includes  30 simple recipes, from side dish to main dish, dessert to appetizer, that will not disappoint your guests. And, that won’t drain your budget either.

Also included:

• FREE Holiday Planners – Also included in my Holiday Entertaining Guide, printable planners that you can use for planning your menu, grocery list, oven schedule, to-do list, table décor and setup and more.
• FREE Holiday Treats – Get 10 recipes for holiday treats that are perfect for cookie exchanges or gifting to your favorite foodie. From Peppermint Brownies to Nutmeg Snickerdoodles…you’ll be glad to have these recipes come time for your holiday baking.

Special Offer

Use the Coupon Code: GRATITUDE and get your Holiday Entertaining Guide, free printable holiday planners and free 10 Holiday Treats for just $0.99.

$5 Dollar Dinner: Holiday Entertaining Guide $0.99 is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

One of my good friends from when I first started blogging, Erin Chase, $5 Dinner Mom, has a new eBook, Holiday Entertaining Guide, which includes  30 simple recipes, from side dish to main dish, dessert to appetizer, that will not disappoint your guests. And, that won’t drain your budget either.

Also included:

• FREE Holiday Planners – Also included in my Holiday Entertaining Guide, printable planners that you can use for planning your menu, grocery list, oven schedule, to-do list, table décor and setup and more.
• FREE Holiday Treats – Get 10 recipes for holiday treats that are perfect for cookie exchanges or gifting to your favorite foodie. From Peppermint Brownies to Nutmeg Snickerdoodles…you’ll be glad to have these recipes come time for your holiday baking.

50% off – Special Offer

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$5 Dollar Dinner: Holiday Entertaining Guide $1.99 is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Um, yeah, that looks delicious, right? You can see how to make this homemade creation for a fraction of the price you will find at popular coffee shops over at Mom Advice. She rocks and I can imagine she had a great time taste testing the Homemade Salted Caramel Mocha Latte.

If you are in the mood for an inexpensive Iced Coffee recipe, check out Savings Lifestyle for way to make it at home!

Homemade Salted Caramel Mocha Latte Recipe is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This is one of the recipes I posted on my weekly Pinterest Meal Planning Board. It is based on this recipe I found on Annie’s Eats. For some reason, I thought making your own pesto would be a daunting task. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how easy it was!

Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Pesto w/Mushrooms & Penne Pasta

Ingredients

• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 oz pine nuts
• 1/3 cup  Grated Romano or Fresh Grated Parmesan (Again, love the Ninja Chopper!)
• 1 cup Roasted Red Peppers (I used jarred as this is what we had in our fridge)
• 1 cup Fresh Basil Leaves
• 1/3 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Mushrooms
• Heavy Whipping Cream to taste
• Pasta of your choice (I used penne)

Chop the pine nuts and garlic in a food processor or your Ninja Chopper until finely chopped. Add parmesan, red pepper, basil, salt & pepper (to taste). Pulse until these items are well combined. Add olive oil.

Your pesto will look yummy like this…

Cook sliced mushrooms in a pan with a little olive oil.

Cook your pasta per the directions.

Add the pesto and mushrooms to the pasta in a sauce pan. Add heavy whipping cream as you desire. I used around 1/4 – 1/3 of a cup.  Heat until warm. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Post Dinner Analysis

This one was great! However, my husband and I both agreed it could be spiced up a bit as it was a little bland. It was still good but we think some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper would help spice it up for us.

Bonus: My youngest daughter who claims she hates vegetables enjoyed this one. She was a little skeptical because of the mushrooms so I told her I would make sure her plates didn’t have any mushrooms in it. She said it was yummy. Little did she know she was eating red roasted peppers!

Freezer Friendly

Freeze mixture without the pasta. Unfreeze and add pasta to the mixture.

Meat it Up

Add chicken.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Roasted Red Pepper & Basil Pesto w/Mushrooms & Penne Pasta is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

I have a new favorite toy – my Pampered Chef Veggie Wedger. It is so easy to use and gives perfect uniform to your wedges. Did I mention super simple? It was wonderful to have for this Rosemary Garlic Red Potatoes recipe.

By cutting these into wedges instead of leaving them as is, I reduced the cooking time and they were easier to eat. Let’s get started on this quick and easy recipe that packs a tasty punch.

Rosemary Garlic Red Potatoes

Ingredients

• 10-15 Red Potatoes
• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 4 cloves crushed garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

Using the super nifty Pampered Chef Veggie Wedger…posting about because I absolutely LOVE! This is no way sponsored or provided by Pampered Chef, though I’ve done giveaways from them in the past. I just think this is one of the best new products in my kitchen.

Place your potato in the Pampered Chef Veggie Wedger.

Press down and align the wedger blades up with the bottom piece…

You will end up with pieces of potato that look perfectly like this….

Toss the olive oil along with the rosemary and garlic in a large bowl.

Bake at 350 degrees in a shallow roasting pan for around 45 minutes or until tender. You can serve hot or cold.

Delicious!

Find more meatless meals and dishes with my Meatless Monday series.

On Pinterest? Check out how I’m using Pinterest for Meal Planning.

Recipe inspiration from the Food Network.

Rosemary Garlic Red Potatoes is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This recipe is so delicious that I had to skip it ahead of a few others in my recipe posting queue! I used this Spinach and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta recipe from All Recipes and added and removed a few things based on what I had in the pantry.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta

Ingredients

• 1 cup Vegetable Broth
• 20 Sun Dried Tomatoes (I used packed in oil)
• Olive Oil
• Minced Garlic or Clove of Garlic
• Ground Cayenne Red Pepper
• Mushrooms (not pictured above because I decided to add them in the middle of the recipe!)
• Spinach, bunch (or a 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach leaves)
• 1 cup Grated Romano or Fresh Grated Parmesan (Again, love the Ninja Chopper!)
• Pasta of your choice (I used ditalini)

I will apologize in advance for my lack of exact measurements. When I cook, I usually just add things until it looks or tastes right.

If you use Sun Dried Tomatoes packed in oil, you can skip this step. If you use the packaged kind, you will want to boil 1 cup of vegetable broth. Remove from heat. Place your Sun Dried Tomatoes in the broth for around 15 minutes. Then coarsely chop. Reserve the broth to use later in the recipe.

Go ahead and cook your pasta according to the directions. I used Ditalini Pasta as this is what I had on hand. I think that Penne, Angel Hair, or Linguine as well as many others would work well too. I like the Ditalini because it is cute and is a little firm.

With a tablespoon or so of Olive Oil, sautee the mushrooms along with the minced garlic. Add a few teaspoons of Ground Cayenne Pepper to your taste. I kept just kind of pouring it on so mine was quite spicy but not overwhelming.

Add the spinach and cook until wilted. I kept adding spinach as it takes up quite a bit of space until you start cooking it. I felt like 3-4 handfuls of baby spinach was a good amount.

Pour the reserve broth into the pan along with the Sun Dried Tomatoes.

I cooked until most of the liquid was absorbed. (You should see mushrooms in there too! I forgot about the package of mushrooms I needed to use and decided to add it near the end because they needed to be used up and I thought it would add to the recipe, which it did!)

Combine the Spinach Mixture with your cooked pasta. Top with your freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese.

Post Dinner Analysis

I loved this one! I am adding this to my rotation. Just the right amount of spice.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze mixture without the pasta. Unfreeze and add pasta to the mixture.

Meat it Up

Add chicken.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Spinach, Mushroom, and Sun Dried Tomato Pasta is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Do you have fresh garden tomatoes? This recipes is delicious with fresh garden tomatoes! This is yet another recipe I love because it is customizable for each family member’s preferences.

Tomato Basil Pesto Panini

Ingredients

• Bread
• Basil Pesto
• Fresh Mozzarella Cheese
• Tomatoes
• Pasta Sauce (optional)

Spread a thin layer of Basil Pesto on one side of the bread. Layer a thickly cut tomato with mozzarella cheese. Add pasta sauce to the other piece of bread if you want. Cook in a Panini Maker or cook like a grilled cheese.

I have the Cuisinart GR-3 Griddler Jr 3-in-1 Nonstick Countertop Grill which has been a good investment as we use it quite often. Kids can also use it by themselves as it is easy to operate than the stove.

Yummy and so easy!

For the little kids, I made half sandwiches with pepperoni, sauce, and mozzarella.

Post Dinner Analysis

Everyone loved the customized sandwich. For the little ones, I left off the pesto, since it’s green. For the older guys, I put pepperoni on it. My oldest daughter and I ate it vegetarian style. Everyone was happy.

Freezer Friendly

I’d skip the freezer on this one!

Meat it Up

Add pepperoni.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Tomato Basil Pesto Panini is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

This recipe is so simple and so tasty. I love that you can use basically whatever you want to make it your own personal flavor. You will never go back to canned beans once you make these Crockpot Refried Beans. You will also love that they are super-economical!

Crockpot Refried Beans

Ingredients

• Bag of Dried Pinto Beans
• Green Pepper
• Jalapeno Peppers, Serrano Peppers, or whatever kind of peppers you like!
• Onion (optional)
• cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, or a packet of taco seasoning

Directions

Cook beans in a slower cooker with around 6 cups of water. Add your peppers, onion, and seasoning. I used what we had from our little garden – (2) green peppers, (2) jalapeno peppers, and (3) I don’t know what kind of little green peppers. I used a taco seasoning packet since we are out of cumin at the time along with a teaspoon or so of chili powder and red pepper flakes. I didn’t measure any of my ingredients, I just kind of tossed them all in.

Once the beans were cooked, I let mine cool because it was late. I then used my Ninja Chopper, my absolute favorite kitchen gadget, to mash the beans.

I adapted my recipe from Budget Bytes and she has some great step by step instructions with pictures.

Serves 4 – 6.

Post Dinner Analysis

Delicious enough to eat plain, on burritos, with chips, or however you like them! I left out the onion so that my picky onion hater would eat them too. However, I think if it was mashed up in there, he might not even notice.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze in freezer friendly containers. I broke my batch up into several containers about the same amount that you would get in a can. Next time, I’ll triple my batch to maximize my time even further.

Meat it Up

I’d leave these just as they are. No need for meat. Though, I know some restaurants will ad some type of pork products to flavor. I don’t think these need it at all.

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Crockpot Cooking: Refried Beans is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Crock Pot Girls is a brand spankin’ new Facebook page that has exploded within the last couple of weeks. Just hit refresh on the Facebook page to watch the numbers grow. It is amazing and I think a bit fishy!

This indicates people are excited about Crockpottin’ and sharing recipes. My favorite recipe to make in my Crock-Pot is my Crock-Pot Creamy Corn, which is so easy and tasty! I also have a new recipe up to kick the canned bean habit. This Crockpot Refried Beans recipe is so easy and customizable to what is in your cabinet.

I love to use my Crock-Pot for cooking dried beans, especially black beans.  A few weeks ago, I made a bag of dried beans by first fast soaking” them. Then I used a few peppers from my garden, which is actually just a few plants in my landscaping, and added a packet of taco seasoning and red pepper. I cooked in my Crock-Pot all day long. They were delicious and I was taking them to my aunt’s house for Taco night.

Of course, I cook from scratch and it doesn’t turn out. The beans turned out fabulously. However, I do not have a handy dandy Cook ‘n Carry Crock-Pot, which is now on my wish list.

Looking back the story is almost funny…

I was driving extremely cautious on my almost seven mile drive to my aunt’s house. Since there was some type of gas leak on the main highway, I took my county road all the way to “town.” Thinking of my precious beans, I was driving around 45 mph.

Since our road was now being used a parallel “highway” since the main road was closed, some impatient driver didn’t think I was going fast enough, tailgated me about a mile until we came to a stop sign, and then tried to pass me on a road that was not really meant for two cars to drive down it comfortably and proceeded to cut me off after passing me.

Needless to say this rattled me and caused me to veer and slam on my brakes.  At that moment, I screamed inside my head, my beans. Too late. Almost the entire pot of beans was now scattered in my vehicle. It took several days of cleaning, a whole can of carpet cleaning, and lots of airing out to get the stench out of my car, which conveniently I couldn’t smell at all.

I wish I could say this was my first Crock-Pot vehicle foul. There was an incident with my creamy corn in the Crock-Pot a summer ago….we won’t even go there….

I need a  Cook ‘n Carry Crock-Pot, right?

The Crock Pot Girls have several recipes on their website as well as their Facebook Page. Also, you will want to check out 365 Days of Crock Pot, which has a ton of recipes on it and Happy Housewife!

Find more recipes I’ve posted in the Recipe Category or find meatless recipes (usually with a meaty version too!)

Do you Crock-Pot? What’s your favorite thing to cook in the Crock-Pot? 

Crock Pot Girls: New Site to Find Crock Pot Recipes is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

Spinach Puffs

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• 1 teaspon baking powder
• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 cup Cheddar Jack cheese
• Spinach, chopped

Combine flour, baking powder, milk, egg, and cheese until well mixed. Add in fresh chopped spinach. Spray muffin pan with non-stick spray. Fill cups 3/4 the way full.

Cook at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

Makes 1 dozen regular size muffins or 2 dozen mini muffins.

Dip and serve with warm marina sauce.

Post Dinner Analysis

These were a tasty little snack. I wouldn’t consider this a full dinner but the kids seemed to enjoy the ones I made with pepperoni.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze after cooking.

Meat it Up

Add pepperoni.

Vegan Option

Use vegan cheese.

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Spinach Puffs is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

Eggplant Parmesan

Ingredients

• 1 Eggplant
• 1 cup Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese (Of course, I like using my Ninja Chopper to grate mine easily and quickly! We’ve said GOODbye to the fake parmesan forever!)
• 2 cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• 1 1/2 cups Spaghetti or Marina Sauce

Slice eggplant 1/4″. I leave my eggplant unpeeled. Layer eggplant  in 8.5″ x 11″ dish. Then layer half of the parmesan cheese, half the mozzarella, and half the sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle with additional parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.

Serves 4 .

Post Dinner Analysis

Great recipe for eggplant during the summer season.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze before or after cooking.

Meat it Up

Add sausage.

Vegan Option

Use vegan cheese.

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Eggplant Parmesan is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

Spinach and Tomato Pizza

Ingredients

• Spinach
• Roma Tomatoes, sliced
• Vidalia or yellow onions
• Alfredo Sauce
• Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
• Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese (Of course, I like using my Ninja Chopper to grate mine easily and quickly! We’ve said GOODbye to the fake parmesan forever!)
• Pizza Dough (I used Meijer Organics pre-made for convenience)

Brush a little olive oil on the dough. Coat with alfredo sauce. Top with spinach, roma tomatoes, onions, mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan-Romano Cheese.

Cook until cheese is melted.

Serves 4 .

Post Dinner Analysis

This is my favorite pizza. Use leftover alfredo and vegetables to utilize those leftovers.

Freezer Friendly

Freeze before cooking.

Meat it Up

Add chicken.

Vegan Option

Use vegan cheese.

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Spinach & Tomato Pizza is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Meatless Monday (Tuesdays edition!) ;)

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

This recipe is inspired by one I found on the Philadelphia Cooking Creme package. I omitted the meat & green peppers, added black beans and tomatoes w/green chilies. This was as tasty as some of the Southwest Pastas we have had in restaurants so we were very pleased with the result!

You will see I’ve added in the cost I paid for each item in the ingredient list. Sometimes I know these costs and sometimes I don’t but all of these items were recent purchases. I’m excited that the total cost of this meal is just a fraction of what you would pay at a sit down restaurant for one entree! It was a super quick and easy meal to prepare.

Southwest Pasta Skillet

Continue reading: Meatless Monday: Southwest Pasta Skillet

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

Lime Ginger Rice w/Vegetables

The entire secret to this simple recipe is School House Kitchen Ginger Lime Vinaigrette. I’ve tried both varieties of Vinaigrettes from School House Kitchen and love the taste of both.

This is so simple, it’s ridiculous. Steamed riced, steamed vegetables (broccoli & cauliflower), a little bit of shredded cheese, topped with School House Kitchen Ginger Lime Vinaigrette. All to your own taste. Just a little of this tasty dressing/marinade goes a long way. I also marinated Tofu later in the week and used it in a similar recipe.

After I took the picture, I piled on more broccoli and cauliflower…following the food people’s advice to get at least half a plate of veggies at every meal! :)

Post Dinner Analysis

Delicious and simple. I’m going to make sure I always have a bottle School House Kitchen Ginger Lime Vinaigrette on hand for a super quick and easy dinner! Plus, this meal was very filling. I did add a little bit of silken tofu the next time I made this just to get a little extra protein in my meal.

I was introduced to School House Kitchen from one of the Daily Deal Sites. I’ve seen other events and they do have some items listed on Abe’s Market as well as just ordering from their own website.

Freezer Friendly

Not sure about this. What do you think?

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday: Ginger Lime Rice w/Vegetables is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .

Meatless Mondays is a weekly feature which will showcase some of my hits and probably misses with living a meatless life. Many of you know I stopped eating meat about a year ago for personal reasons. While, I haven’t had any desire to go back to eating meat, it has been a struggle to find healthy foods to eat.

Everywhere you go, meat is the main dish. Since I was new to this lifestyle, it led me to eating unhealthy options. I’m on a path now to cook healthier options at home without meat. While going meatless is a personal choice for me, you can still save money by having one meatless meal a week.

Will you join me on this journey by preparing one meatless dish every week?

Black Bean Burger Salad

What do you do when you have extra black beans? Make Black Bean Burgers. You can see my original version here. I made these again recently and I thought we didn’t have any prepared bread crumbs so instead I used panko, which I was pleased to see when I finally found my bread crumbs at the back of the pantry that the panko had less calories. They Black Bean Burgers tasted just as good with the panko.

We also didn’t have any celery so I left that out too. You can adjust this recipe very easily to fit your own dietary needs or what is in your pantry/fridge.

I cook a batch of Black Bean Burgers at one time so I can use them later. It makes a quick lunch or dinner for me. I do like the frozen Morningstar Black Bean burgers but the homemade ones are much more filling and hearty. Plus, it is much more economical when you make them yourself.

Sometimes I want to skip the bread for obvious calorie count reasons. So I will eat a salad like the one pictured below. I used Romano lettuce, added a bit of fresh spinach leaves, leftover pico, salsa, a sprinkle of cheese, and a cut up Black Bean Burger. This was a super tasty and filling lunch.

One thing you may have noticed in the Black Bean Burger is the egg ingredient. I’m not vegan but I don’t eat eggs plain. I will eat them if they are cooked thoroughly into something and I can’t taste it at all like brownies, cakes, cookies, etc. ;)  In this recipe, I can’t taste the egg so I’m good to go and I leave it in there just because I know I need the health benefits from the egg. As long as I don’t taste it in there, I’m leaving it in. Egg substitutes are costly so I just don’t even want to go there.

Post Dinner Analysis

Delicious! :)

Freezer Friendly

Cook Black Bean Burgers in a batch and freeze for easy cooking at a later date.

If you have any questions about the vegetarian lifestyle, you can read more about it at GoVeg.com.

Meatless Monday Lunch Idea: Black Bean Burger Salad is a post from BargainBriana. Have you signed up for NoMoreRack for daily deep discounts on your favorite products? Keep track of your daily deal purchases and bills with Manilla .